Self-supporting building member and joint therefor



June 18, 1935. a. F. EKOTRBATY SELF SUPPOETING BUILDING MEMBER AND JOINTTHEREFOR Original Filed Aug. 4, 1930 1 avwemtoz 6031/51 fra/y PatentedJune 18, 1935 PATENT OFFICE SELF-SUPPORTING BUILDING MEMBER AND JOINTTHEREFOR Guy F. Kotrbaty, New

York. N. Y., assignor to Fer-O-Con Corporation, New York, N. Y., acorporation of Delaware Refiled for abandoned application, Serial N0.-472,832, August 4, 1930. This application December 9, 1933, Serial No.701,710

7 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in building construction, andmore particularly to a novel key clip member for construction units.

This application is a substitute for abandoned application Serial No.472,832, filed Aug. 4, 1930.

In my application Serial No. 701,709 filed of even date herewith, Idisclose an improved method of locking building construction units ofthe general type disclosed and claimed in my prior application SerialNo. 295,705 filed July 27, 1928, for improved construction unit andsystem, now Patent No. 1,877,898 of September 20, 1932. The present caserelates to an improved method of securing such construction unitstogether, which method involves the use of a special clip key devicecomprising a fiat key member having integral clips associated therewithon both sides and staggered with respect to each other. The said clipsare adapted to engage clip receiving slots formed in the several gridend sections. These end sections are provided with central channelshaving furring strip receiving channels on either side, the wallsections being crimped or otherwise secured to the end sections in themanner described in my prior applications above identified.

In the drawing, Fig. 1 is a horizontal section through a pair ofjuxtaposed construction units showing an improved locking device;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of an end of a grid unit showing the clipreceiving slots;

Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1 showing themethod of locking the units together; and

Fig. 4 is a vertical section of a key member showing various methods offorming the keys.

The construction units l and 2 comprise wall portions 3 and 4 securedtogether in spaced relationship by end sections 5 and 6, the lattercomprises central channel sections 7 and 8 having associated lateralchannels 9 and I0 adapted to receive furring strips H. The sections 1and 8 are respectively provided with key receiving slots I2 adapted toreceive clip keys l3 formed on key M, the several keys and the keyreceiving slots being staggered as indicated in Fig. 3. As noted above,the clip keys may be formed by soldering, welding, brazing, or rivetingseparate members 15 directly to the key support I4, as indicated at l6,rather than punching the members l3 out of the body of the member H.

In assembling units by the present method, the several units are placedin spaced relationship and the .key member [4 introduced in position insuch a manner that the clip members engage the clip receiving slotsafter which the member I4 is driven home, thus holding the adjacentunits l and 2 in interlockedrelationship. Where furring strips are to beused they will, of course, be inserted in position before the keymembers M are put in place and secured.

It will now be appreciated that there has been provided an improvedmethod and means for securing building construction units of the typeset forth in my application Serial No. 295,705 which improvement permitsthe facile and economical assembly of such units while obviating laborcost due to the formation of involved key shapes and associated keyways.

What is claimed is:

1. An improved building construction including a plurality of juxtaposedunits, said units comprising spaced wall sections and end sectionsjoining the wall sections, the end sections being severally providedwith tongue-receiving slots, and tongued key members between abuttingend sections and in interlocking relation therewith.

2. An improved wall construction for buildings, including a plurality ofjuxtaposed building units having spaced wall sections and end sectionsjoining the wall sections, the end sections being provided withcentrally disposed tongue receiving slots and channel sections on eitherside of the said slot sections, a tongue keying member having resilientclip members thereon and extending from opposite sides and substantiallyparallel to the said member disposed between abutted building units,and'in locking relation with the tongue receiving slots.

3. In a building construction as claimed in claim 2, improvementscomprising furring strips disposed in channels formed by mating channelsections of abutted unit members.

4. An improved key member for abutted selfsupporting grid units havingshort guiding tongues formed in the abutting walls thereof, comprisingan elongated body portion provided with alternately disposed integralresilient tongues parallel to the body portion for substantially theirwhole length, and being severally adapted to fit into the slots in thebuilding members and be guided by the said guiding tongues, said keyswhen in locked position having the resilient tongue members grippinglydisposed on the interior surfaces--of the ends of the said buildingmembers.

5. An improved key member comprising a flat metal strip forming a bodyportion of substantial length and including a plurality of resilienttongues in staggered relation on alternate sides of the said member andparallel to the body portion of the key member for substantial- 1y theirwhole length.

6. An improved key member comprising a fiat metal strip forming a bodyportion of substantial length and including a plurality of integralresilient tongues in staggered relation on alter- 10 nate sides of thesaid member and parallel to the body portion of the key member forsubstantially their whole length.

7. An improved key member comprising a flat metal strip forming a bodyportion of substantial length, and including a plurality of resilienttongues secured to the body portion in staggered relation on alternatesides thereof and parallel thereto for substantially their whole length.

GUY F. KOTRBATY. 1o

